AUSTIN, Texas — Shaka Smart's Longhorns appear to be in danger of needing to win multiple games at next week's Big 12 tournament to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
The reason is UT's 69-56 loss in the regular season finale on Senior Day at the Erwin Center. Texas finished the regular season, 16-15 overall and 8-10 in Big 12 play.
The Longhorns were without senior Kerwin Roach again, who continued to serve a suspension.
Not exactly a Senior Day to remember, both Roach and Dylan Osetkowski were honored prior to the game. Osetkowski finished the game with nine points.
UT was led by freshman, Jackson Hayes who contributed 19 points.
This was a labeled a bubble game, a game in which the winner possibly clinched an NCAA Tournament at-large berth, a game Texas led the first 10 minutes of, but TCU was on fire shooting the ball.
The Horned Frogs converted on 54 percent of their field goal attempts and 52.9 percent of their three-point attempts.
Texas will learn their seeding for the Big 12 tournament later Saturday evening.
Prior to Saturday's loss to TCU, UT's NET ranking was 34. The NET ranking is one of the primary tools the NCAA tournament selection committee uses to determine seeding and at-large bids to the field of 68.